Technical Field
This invention relates generally to drapes, and more particularly to drapes for equipment having non-planar contours, such as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and other medical equipment.
Background Art
In clinical environments, such as hospitals, medical offices, and ambulatory surgical centers, a wide range of equipment is used to perform diagnostics and procedures. This equipment can include devices like imaging equipment, ultrasound probes, microscopes, and radiographic equipment. This equipment is generally large.
At the same time, healthcare facilities are increasingly concerned about the occurrence of secondary complications occurring during medical and surgical procedures. For example, during a medical procedure on an otherwise healthy patient, there is the possibility that a secondary infection or other complication can result. As a result, more attention is being turned to establishment and maintenance of sterile fields about patients and procedure sites during medical procedures. For example, some healthcare facilities request medical professionals to check and double check certain conditions, such as whether a proper sterile field has been established or whether a proper sterile field can be maintained.
When a procedure involves a large piece of equipment, establishment and maintenance of sterile fields can become a complex problem. To begin, adequately cleaning and sterilizing the various surfaces and contours of the equipment between usages is difficult. This makes it challenging for medical professionals to ensure that patients are not inadvertently exposed to surgical fluids or other contaminants disposed on the equipment. Moreover, even where a sterile field is established, it is difficult to ensure that the sterile field is maintained. A single non-sterile person coming into contact with a previously sterilized surface can compromise a sterile field.
There is thus a need for an apparatus and method for easily establishing and maintaining a sterile field on equipment, even where the equipment has non-planar surfaces.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.